The Stutz News

Beautiful, Godly, Amazing, Wife, Partner and Friend

2009-04-19T09:43:00.002-04:00

To my beloved Rachel,

I miss you so much! You were my rock, my strength and my partner in life. You have impacted so many lives, one being mine. You've kept me on the straight and narrow each day. You provided me peace when I was weak. I thank God for the pleasure of knowing you and spending 10.5 wonderful years with you. Bye! I will see you soon my love!

I've never heard that name before....Neither had we!

2009-04-17T22:06:00.002-04:00

We always knew when we had a son, his name would be Bruce. When we went to the hospital to have Aleah, we walked in with two names on a list, knowing Marie would be the middle name, and walked out with a completely different name than any we had ever considered. It just so happened that our second child was a boy. So we had A & B (Aleah & Bruce). We always joked about using a 'c' name if we decided to have a third child. In the 3.5 years before getting pregnant a third time, we had decided on a 'c' name for a boy. Once we found out we were having a girl, we were back to square one. We couldn't agree for anything. Not to mention, since we didn't use any names on our list for Aleah, Scott was hesitant to even talk about names if I was going to continue to look for more names and change my mind time and again... :)

In November, we had friends who had a baby girl and named her Shiloh. I loved it, and started thinking about a Biblical place that we could use that started with a 'c'. The first one that came to mind was Canaan. I loved it. It was the promised land that God promised to the Israelites and He also brought the Israelites out of captivity into the promised land. I just loved that my child's name would have such a great story and history. Alas.....it just sounded too masculine. No matter how I spelled it, I couldn't get past the masculine sound.

My friend, Karla, is the one who suggested Cana, the place where Jesus performed his first miracle. The day she suggested it, we were trying to find it in the Bible. I'm the one who said that I knew it was in the first three Gospels. It couldn't be in the book of John. Ha ha ha.....a couple of great Bible scholars we are. John is the only book that records the story of turning the water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana. That was where the idea was born. We added the 'y' (Cayna) because I wanted to make sure it was pronounce 'right'. The 'h' was added because Aleah ends in 'ah' and I wanted a child named with a 6-letter name like mine, since the other two have 5-letter names like Scott's. I know, a wonderful way to find a spelling. :)

At separate times, both Karla and Scott suggested Grace as the middle name. I never saw myself as having a daughter with the name Grace in her name. So I never committed to it. I finally thought that I should see if there is a meaning for her name. I actually found the name in my baby name book. 'Kana' is a masculine, Japanese name that means 'powerful'. Knowing that, I thought again about using Grace as the middle name, and I loved it. I know Who has a Powerful Grace and I wanted my daughter to be 'labeled' with our Lord.

Caynah Grace = a Powerful Grace

Our children...A, B, & C! :)

Caynah Grace

2009-04-10T21:47:00.004-04:00

Caynah Grace arrived today at 2:11pm. She was 7lbs. 7ozs. and 18.5 in. long. She is doing great!

Aleah loved holding her new baby sister. She is in awe of how little and soft. :)

Newest family picture!!

They were so intrigued. Bruce didn't want to hold her, but you can tell he sure loves her!

After her nap that was after all the hard work of being born, she was wide awake!!!

A proud daddy!!

Some pics

2009-04-09T08:52:00.003-04:00

The kiddos loved to pass the time in the doc's office. Always enough toys to keep them busy.

Bruce sure is his father's son. I was making us lunch and heard some noise behind me. Well, I had never gotten the breakfast dishes cleared and he was clearing the table. He would go to the sink, brush off the crumbs, then go to the dishwasher and put in the dishes. I'm glad I found my camera quickly, because he was on the last plate by the time I realized what he was doing.
First play time at the park for the season. March 16.
Playing store in Aleah's room.

Here is my loving son. Every time he leaves me or greets me, he always remembers to give the baby a hug and kiss as well.

I post my pics on my facebook page. Find me there and become my friend to see more. I will be posting new baby pics on both. New baby arrival date is April 10.

A Message from my Aunt

2009-04-08T17:20:00.001-04:00

Aunt Lois left this message on her caring bridge site and I wanted to pass it along...

Thank you for your outpouring of love and prayers for our family the last few weeks. The journey has been long and hard (beginning 5 years ago) and God has been faithful through many trials. My special verses have remained the same during this time and will continue to be a source of strength for the days ahead; I Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Rollin greatly desired to "persevere to the end" and God has granted his desire and fulfilled his promise - "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God". Your words of concern and encouragement have been a blessing. Thank you for sharing this time with our family. - Lois Jump

Arrangements for Rollin Jump

2009-03-30T20:05:00.003-04:00

Funeral Arrangements For Rollin Jump:
Through Titus Funeral Home:

VIEWING:
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Place: Titus Funeral Home, 200 E. Sheridan St., Warsaw, IN 46580, 574-267-3104
Times: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

FUNERAL:
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Place: Rodeheaver Auditorium in Winona Lake, IN
Calling: 6:00 p.m. (Rodeheaver)
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Rodeheaver)

GRAVESIDE SERVICE
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2009
Place: Oakwood Cemetery (staff will direct)
Time: 10:30 a.m.

Memorials Preferred to
Christ's Covenant Church (Memorials to Rollin Jump)
2090 E. Pierceton Rd.
Winona Lake, IN 46590

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rollinjump

What's next?

2009-03-29T07:52:00.004-04:00

My mom and Aunt Lois spent the night in Warsaw at Aunt Lois' home. Today, they have a meeting with the funeral home at 2pm. Please pray for the decisions to be made in the coming days.

Aunt Lois stopped by my house last night before heading to Warsaw and wanted me to know that she will have hard times, my mom and the rest of the family, too. But that we need to lift each other up and encourage one another in this time. She is at peace that this is the Lord's will. She is an amazing woman!!

I love this picture of my aunt and uncle. This was taken last August at our annual get together at Chain O'Lakes State Park.

A new Body in a new Place.

2009-03-28T14:30:00.003-04:00

Uncle Rollin is with his Lord. With his family surrounding him, his heart stopped at 2:02pm. Please lift up the family in your prayers.

2009-03-27T17:50:00.002-04:00

This is the message that was posted on Rollin's Caring Bridge Site today. A close friend of theirs is updating the site periodically. I'll update when I know more. Thanks for the comments and prayers.

Lois asked me to post the following personal message from her:
"Measures are being taken to keep Rollin comfortable. Thank you for your continued prayer support for us!
With much love to all of you,"
Lois

Brain Update

2009-03-26T17:00:00.002-04:00

My Uncle's family got the EEG results back today. It doesn't look good. His body is improving slowly(he is breathing over the vent these days)......however, his brain isn't improving. The family is at peace if the Lord would take Uncle Rollin home. It is really hard to see him this way because he has always been a jovial, joking kinda guy. He loves the comics, NCAA basketball (which he is missing right now with the Sweet 16 starting tonight), and jokes. He was always telling us new jokes when ever we saw him.

There is a meeting tomorrow with the neuro doc just to see what is the next thing. Not planning on having to make any hard decisions at this point.

Thanks for the continued prayers.

Baby #3 Update

2009-03-25T17:52:00.002-04:00

Today was doctor appointment day. My original due date was May 1. After my ultrasound in December, that gave me the due date of April 25. I've always gone with the May 1 due date which would put me 2 days shy of 35 weeks. Today, I realized that my doc has been going by the ultrasound due date which puts me at 2 days shy of 36 weeks. Two weeks ago at my last doc appt., we had settled on an induction date of April 10. Obviously, only if she doesn't come before then.

So, today I was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I've been having lots of contractions in addition to my braxton hicks, so I was a little disappointed. He did say that if/when I go into labor from here on out, he will not stop it. Yay!! I'm pretty excited about that.

Until this week, people would ask me if I was ready. I really was okay being pregnant. After the 6 weeks of puking was over and then continued appointments with the chiropractor, I have felt the best this pregnancy. This week, however, I've really started to be uncomfortable. The hips and the pelvis are just mush so when I get up in the morning, it takes a while for me to make sure that I won't fall down. This also happens when I've been sitting at work or in the car for a prolonged period of time. I also wonder if being out and about at the hospital with my Uncle's family has just made my body more tired since I'm not laying down as much as I normally would.

Anyway, this is all to say.....I'm ready to meet this little girl of ours. I can't wait to see if she has the mop of dark brown hair like the other two kiddos. Not sure how the plans for the older kiddos would work out if she came early. We only have plans for Easter weekend which is the induction. I'm sure it won't be a problem to figure things out.

Care Planning Meeting

2009-03-25T13:19:00.002-04:00

Today was the care planning meeting. Uncle Rollin's heart looks good. His kidneys are recovering. His ventilator is set at 8 breaths a minute, but he is taking 20. From the neurological stand point, the next thing we are looking for is for him to open his eyes when someone is speaking to him. This is easier to do instead of him squeezing a hand or something. They will be doing another EEG today to see what's going on in the brain.

The prognosis for him to recover fully and take care of himself is not good. Please continue to pray that the Lord's will be done.

A small update

2009-03-24T21:59:00.003-04:00

There hasn't been a whole lot more information, hence, not an update for a couple of days. There has been some improvement. He has voluntary movement of his limbs, kidneys have improved, and blood count has improved(after 4 units of blood in 2 days). No he is not out of the woods, but any improvement is a blessing. There is a care planning meeting tomorrow, so please pray for that. Continue to pray for the family and that we can be an encouragement and help to them.

Pray for the nurse who made the mistake. She is devastated and is in need of our prayers. Naturally, there are consequences for a mistake of this magnitude, but she does have our forgiveness and prayers. May God's grace and comfort also be with her.

It's not looking good

2009-03-22T18:00:00.002-04:00

Today, Uncle Rollin's kidneys have started to fail. The only thing to do about that is dialysis. However, since he hasn't shown much improvement, it looks like Aunt Lois won't have them do that. Please pray that God's will be done!!! Jon and Jenn are taking it hard. Pray that they would run to the Lord at this time. Aunt Lois is at peace because she is trusting the Lord and knows that He is in control. Ultimately, Uncle Rollin has only ever wanted to be in the presence of his Lord and Saviour.

Thanks for all the prayers. They are so appreciated. Please continue......

Update on My Uncle

2009-03-21T09:05:00.002-04:00

Thanks for you continued prayers! Not much new news.

Yesterday afternoon the neurologist was by, they did an EEG and CAT scan along with an electrocardiogram. His heart is is ok. Thankfully. Mom said that he didn't respond at all to the neurologists tests. However, I'm not sure what that means.

This morning they found out that he is more stable than yesterday. The doc stopped one med (not sure which one).

PLEASE PRAY HE WAKES UP!!!

Lois has a room near the hospital, thankfully. (BTW, they all live in Warsaw.) Jenn spent the night talking to her dad every hour. Jon had to work last night. Logan was here til about 5:30 yesterday and he is great. He is with another family today. Rollin's mom has a respiratory infection and hasn't been able to visit. Her daughter from TX (Rollin's sis) will be arriving tonight around 9:30. She will have special permission to visit Rollin before going to Warsaw to stay with her mom, Nadine.

Lois-Rollin's wife, pray for wisdom and strength
Jon-Rollin's son, pray for a cry out to God in this time of need
Jenn-Rollin's daughter, pray for strength as she supports her mom, son, and grandmother/that she also will cry out to God in this time of need.
Logan-Jenn's son, pray that he will continue to be the good little boy he knows to be, despite the upheaval going on around him.
Nadine-Rollin's mom, pray for health and healing and that she would have no guilt from not being able to be there
Lois-Rollin's sis, safety in travel today, strength as she cares for her mom and is a support to the others

Over All:Pray the Lord would sustain them as then travel through this worldly time of upheaval. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God.

Please Pray....

2009-03-20T10:22:00.002-04:00

Rachel's uncle is in the ICU at Lutheran. He was admitted yesterday for pain management. Overnight he was given insulin by mistake and coded. They immediately called family to his side. They did get him back, but he is now on a ventilator, unresponsive but stable. His wife, son, and daughter are there along with his 3 year old grandson (along with various other family and friends). We will be picking up Logan(the grandson) to spend the day with us.

At 7:30am: while writing this a new update came in.....He is still not awake. They expect him to wake in the next few hours, if he will wake at all. Looks like viral meningitis is what was causing the headaches that he came in for with the pain.

At 10am: They are waiting for a neurologist to come assess him. They've not actually heard how long he was out, so not sure on brain damage. The CEO and COO of the hospital did talk to them, but still no new news.

Names for specific prayers
Rollin - Rachel's uncle
Lois-his wife
Jon-his son
Jenn-his daughter
Logan-his grandson, Jenn's son

Pray also that this would draw the family closer to Jesus and each other. Pray for a miracle, but ultimately that the Lord's will be done!

Long time no update.......

2009-03-15T19:54:00.003-04:00

Well, I quit doing my thankful list back in January during the week that the kiddos and I were sick one right after another. I just had a really hard time thinking about the good things. Since then, it just seemed like a HUGE job to get back on the wagon of blogging.

After being sick, I spent a good month just being exhausted. On the days that I worked, I would pick up Bruce, come home and sleep until time to pick up Aleah from school. On non-work days, I would get everyone off to school and work then head to the couch for a 2 hour nap. Then after lunch, I would put a movie on for Bruce and sleep another 1-2 hours before picking up Aleah. I just couldn't figure out why I was so tired all the time. In February, Scott informed me that I had started snoring in December sometime. So I thought that could be it, but also wondered if I needed to increase my medication. I've been on and off anti-depressant/anxiety meds for the last 2 years. When I found out I was pregnant, my doc wanted me off the meds. Those were a tough 3 months. When I did go back on them, I was just taking a half dose compared to before the pregnancy. So, when I went to the doc in February, I asked if I could increase my meds thinking that was why I was so tired all the time. I just needed the energy from the meds. So we increased the meds, but it took another 2 weeks to get used to it, so I was still tired. I tried the nasal strips but they didn't stay on my nose the whole night, I also slept on an incline, but that put strain on my middle back, so that didn't work either. Thankfully, I've been getting better sleeps and feeling really good that past few weeks. Not sure if I'm still snoring or not.

By this time in my previous pregnancies, I was pretty miserable because of back pain. I had a friend get really great results from a chiropractor. So I've been seeing him every two weeks after the initial "getting me back in order" appointments. I also get a 1/2 hour massage once a month at the office. I've been really blessed to have a Christian chiropractor. Also, I've been blessed that insurance helps pay for it.

I had my week 32 appointment last Wednesday and we talked about dates for the induction. We've been planning for week 37. Aleah was 8#14 oz. at full term, Bruce was 8#12 oz. at 37 weeks, and so from the beginning we knew we would induce abround week 37. Not to mention, when I had my glucola test in February, I had an elevated sugar count. So, since I'm a borderline gestational diabetic, I guess I'm destined to have a big baby. We talked about April 9 or 10. He probably would've done the week before, but Easter weekend is the only weekend that we have childcare lined up. Obviously, if she decides to come early, then plans will change. We will see how things work out. I'm really praying that she waits til April 10 just for the sake of healthy lungs, etc. My next appointment is March 25 and he will do the group B test (or whatever it's called). We'll know then if I'm dialated at all. I would think so with all the contractions I've had in the past two weeks. We shall see!

Unfortunately, since Sophie's 1 yr bday is on April 11, we will all be missing it. It's just too much going on for the kiddos. Tha plan is that we go in for induction on April 10 (Aleah was also born on Good Friday, even though her bday is April 18th). Once the baby is born, we will have the first hour or so to nurse and be amazed.....:) then we will have her get her bath while I move to my post partum room. My good friend Kristi will keep the kiddos that day. She lives really close to the hospital so that is a blessing. Once they start the bath for the baby, Scott will go get the kiddos to bring them over to meet their baby sister. Depending on how late in the day Baby is born will determine how long they last at the hospital. At some point, Scott will take them home for the night. Saturday morning, they will come to see us again but go home with Grandma and Grandpa Allen for Saturday and Sunday. We plan to be home Sunday afternoon with the kiddos joining us that eveing sometime.

The kiddo are definitely excited. Aleah is already talking about how to soothe the baby at night if she fusses. We have the crib up, sheets on, clothes laundered, etc. but still have to find a couple things in the attic. Scott told Aleah about the mobile, so she is excited to turn that on for her if she fusses at night. I don't plan on Aleah having to do too much at night, since she is a heavy sleeper, but we'll see what happens. Both kiddos have been carrying around Aleah's baby doll and it is really cute to see them "practicing".

Scott has been on his job now for about 6 months. We have really seen God work in our lives during this time and we are so thankful that Scott gets to work in his passion at such a young age. Scott has been a wonderful husband and father during this pregnancy. He has picked up the slack so much and I am so grateful for him. I know he is ready for the baby to be here to get his 'normal' wife back, but 'normal' will be a little different anyway. I know that God is gracious and will help us all in the transition of adding a new life into our family.

I will take 7 weeks off, then go back to work about 8 hours a week. I plan on just one 8 hour day so that I can enjoy the summer at the zoo, pool, park, backyard, etc. with the kiddos. Scott will have Fridays off so we will enjoy having family days on Fridays. I'm so thankful that my employer is so willing to let me set my schedule. I plan on picking up more hours again after the kiddos go back to school in the fall.

Sorry this is soooo long, but I really wanted to get this all down before the next busyness starts in our lives. I hope to have access to a computer in the hospital to upload pics. I will have free internet access, but just not sure about the computer part. We will see.

First Born Share

2009-02-05T19:50:00.002-05:00

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it for yourself!

Let's see how much you remember!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? yes
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? very happy and excited
4. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 24
5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? took a pregnancy test
6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Brenda S. I actually called her to see if it could be accurate and we decided I should take another one. I went to Meijer to pick one up and while I was there, grabbed a few baby things to surprise Scott with for his bday that was coming up. Then I told Scott, he was really confused about the baby things til I showed him the positive test.
7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? No
8. WHAT WAS YOU DUE DATE?April 21, 2003
9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes, queasiness. Only threw up once or twice from brushing my teeth.
10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Ramen noodles with vinegar and then Chick-fil-A
11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? The peeing so often!! UGH! Of course, you have to know about me that I have a great tolerance for a full bladder. OH, and being clumsy and not able to say what I meant.....
12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Girl, very shocked when the doc said that. I was soooo sure I was having a boy!
13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? I always wanted a little boy first because I loved having a big bro to look out for me. But I was really happy to have a healthy baby!!!!
14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 35
15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? yes, 3 or 4
16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew about them
17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Well, she wasn't coming out after 1 1/2 hours of pushing and I could tell the doc was getting nervous. So, he used the vacuum and found that she had been trying to come out on the side of her head. No wonder she wasn't coming out!!
18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Dupont Hospital
19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 7 hours, that is including the 2 hours of pushing.
20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Scott
21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Scott, Dr. Giant, his student doc, and the nurse
22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural
23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Heck yeah!!! After an hour of labor, I decided that it would only get worse so we went ahead and ordered the epidural. An hour later, again, I finally got it. Boy was it delightful!!!
24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? a shocking 8 lbs. 14.5 oz. Doc NEVER thought my baby would be that big. His guess was 7 lbs.
25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? April 18, 2003 at 2:50 pm, on Good Friday!
26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Aleah Marie, after 18 hours of no name. :)
27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? She is almost 6! I love her very much!

I've been tagged!!

2009-01-17T14:51:00.004-05:00

My friend, Karla, who writes In the Grip of Grace blog, tagged me to do this post. The rules are to go to the place on your computer where you keep your pictures, choose the 4th folder, choose the 4th picture in that folder, explain the picture, then tag 4 other people to do the same.
Here goes...

This picture was taken the day my niece was born. Sophia Renee was born on April 11, 2008. It was a very special day. Kudos to my SIL who delivered naturally with no meds this time around. She and the epidural didn't do too well when she had her first child. Amazingly enough, Sophie (as she is called) and my second daughter will be 1 year apart, almost to the day. We'll wait and see.
I have my pics organized by the month they were taken, hence April is the folder....4th month of the year.

I now tag Becky H., Sheri F., Amy V. & Caleb A.
Can't wait to see your pics!!

5, 5 dollar foot-long.......

2009-01-09T09:08:00.003-05:00

1. I'm thankful that Aleah and Bruce look forward to going to school. Although Aleah loved being home, she was glad that she got to go back to school on Monday.

2. I'm thankful that the "snow" day this week fell on a day that Scott and I were both off from work. It made for a nice family day.

3. I'm thankful that a friend was able to watch the kiddos for an hour while we toured a hospital. The two hospitals close to us have both remodeled their newborn baby area so we are checking them out to see which one we will go to.

4. I'm so thankful for a husband who wants to spend time with us. He always has something to do for work/church, but he is very considerate and wants to make sure he is spending time with his family. He never thinks it's enough, but I know that he is doing what he needs to do and I'm not feeling neglected and the kiddos get quality time with him even if the quantity isn't what he wants it to be. That is a great thing. Love you, Babe!!

5. I'm thankful for my job. Today, Aleah is sick. Usually on Fridays, Scott has the day off. Today is his first rotation for working on a Friday (Imagine that!!! People like to have Fridays off so they have to take turns.) I have things that HAVE to be done today. Usually, the VP can do it, but she has a big dinner tonight that she is finishing up things for. So, what is going to happen? I am able to go pick up some work and work from home. I can't believe that this is a possibility. I'm so thankful.

My New Year 6

2009-01-03T18:28:00.003-05:00

1. I'm thankful for the time we spent with all the families over the Christmas week. We really enjoyed our time.

2. I'm thankful my kiddos weren't too sick. They both had fevers on Tuesday, but those were gone by the next day!!!

3. I'm thankful we had a wonderful time for supper at Mom & Dad's for New Year's Eve. Then a GREAT Komets hockey game with the last win of 2008. After the game, we headed back to Mom & Dad's for great snack and a lively game of Win, Lose, or Draw. We didn't even pause to watch the ball drop. I haven't missed that for about 10-12 years. Oh well. Aleah and Bruce even got to draw on the white board for us to guess. Aleah's was a bit easier to guess than Bruce's. We were back home and in bed by about 1:30.

4. I'm thankful for the kiddos to sleep in til about 8:30 on New Year's Day. Then it was off to the races.....not really. But it was off to our friend's house. We got there at 1pm, the gals put the supper in the crockpot, and then the gals went off to take back returns and shop. We had a wonderful time. The guys even had a great time catching up amidst the four kiddos who were ALL very tired. We got home to supper almost done, ate supper with them and then the guys headed down to the basement play with the new Wii that Santa brought to their downstairs Christmas tree. I never did get to see it or play, but I'm sure I'll get to eventually. It was a great day/night had by all.

5. I'm thankful for a friend who passed along a BUNCH of her boy clothes for Bruce. I now have 3 bags of clothes waiting for him to grow into. Thanks Friend!!

6. I'm thankful for the time Scott has had off in the past two weeks. We have really enjoyed our family time together. However, I'm really looking forward to the next few months. This is our agenda:
Take down Christmas stuff
Go through the kiddos stuff (toys)
Combine the kiddos to the same room
Pick out a new crib (since ours was recalled, just need to turn in our voucher)
Set up the Baby's room
Go through all the baby girl clothes to see what is needed
Pick out a girl's name
Not too shabby considering we have 3 1/2 months before she makes her arrival.

My Christmas 6

2008-12-27T08:38:00.004-05:00

1. I'm thankful that all three Christmas Eve services at church went well. I've never actually been to a Christmas Eve service before. Amazing, huh? Growing up, we went on Christmas Day. I liked that Aleah sat in the service with me. Thankfully, Bruce had a class to go to. It would have disastrous if he had been in the service with me. The service was really nice, but the only thing I missed? I would have liked to have more carols and congregational singing. I think 1 hour just isn't long enough for a service like that. :)

2. I'm thankful for sleeping in on Christmas Day. Thankfully, the kiddos didn't wake us up until 7:30 and we actually went to bed at a decent time. (No staying up til 2am this year to wrap the presents.) Once we had festivities done, I popped the turkey in the oven and started getting ready for dinner.

3. I'm thankful that Scott's parents came over for dinner. They had unexpected company for 5 days with Jeff & Sara's power out. So, I'm glad that we were able to serve them Christmas dinner.

4. I'm thankful our kiddos LOVE to play games. Aleah received Monopoly Jr. and Bruce Jenga. Before bed on Christmas Day, we played a game of Monopoly Jr. It was really fun and it lasted just long enough that the kiddos didn't get bored with it. Can't wait for the Jenga game. :)

5. I'm thankful for our time with my family, yesterday. Things changed a little this year. Since Scott and Mom had to work on Christmas Eve, we did our festivities on the 26th. We started about 2:30 with presents. Aleah and Bruce made out like bandits. It was very fun complete with the exchange of Victoria's Secret boxes/bags between Scott and Caleb. That tradition started 8 years ago, I think. After presents, we ate dinner. The traditional cold meat sandwiches with all the trimmings and sweets for dessert after the singing and reading of the Christmas story. Unfortunately, our extended family from Warsaw couldn't make it. Since it was going to be so warm, the fog was sure to come. And come it did. I'm sorry we didn't see them, but thankful that everyone stayed safe.

6. I'm thankful for the work that Dad does putting together the Christmas story for our reading. I'll include the references, and let you look them up. He always starts at the beginning:
John 1:1-12
Genesis 3:1-15
Genesis 12:1-3
2 Samuel 7:11-14
Isaiah 7:10-14
Isaiah 9:2-7
Micah 5:1-5
Matthew 1:1-17
Luke 1:26-38
Matthew 1:18-25
Luke 2:1-20
Matthew 2:1-23
Galatians 4:1-7
Amazingly enough, I was struck this year how many evil kings were in Jesus' lineage through Joseph. I think it is such a wondrous story how the man to save the world, came through a lineage of such evil and good men. I'm thankful that He came as a baby to ultimately save us all, no matter what our lineage.

My 5 on my anniversary!

2008-12-19T19:35:00.004-05:00

1. I'm thankful for 10 wonderful years of marriage to my soulmate.

2. I'm thankful for 2 wonderful children and one on the way that God has blessed us with in these 10 years.

3. I'm thankful the weather didn't keep us from our little get-a-way and for safety on our way here. (Yes, I'm blogging from the hotel room. Thank goodness for in-room wireless internet.)

4. I'm thankful for parents who live nearby who graciously have our kiddos for the weekend.

5. I'm thankful for the wonderful report that we got at the ultrasound on Monday. Only one baby, and it looks like a little girl. Aleah is so happy and Bruce doesn't have an opinion. Our opinion as parents? We're thankful she is healthy, and now we have to find and agree on a girl name. Wish us luck!!!

My 5

2008-12-12T15:53:00.001-05:00

1. I'm thankful that Scott had a chance to be with Bruce for his "I am Special" open house. This is a time when the kiddos at the preschool invite a special person for some fun. Bruce was so proud to take his Daddy.

2. I'm thankful that the kiddos are doing well in AWANA, even when I forget to help them with their lessons and memory verses until the day before or day of.

3. I'm thankful that Aleah had a chance to be with my mom today. Normally, she doesn't get to go because I pick her up from school after I pick up Bruce from my mom's house. Since she had no school today (teacher inservice day) she was able to enjoy oatmeal at Gramma's. She was the one who requested oatmeal at Gramma's.

4. I'm thankful I was able to join my mom and the kiddos for lunch at Burger King after work. Even more glad that the kiddos earned back the treat of going out to eat. They didn't obey Gramma at the first store. :)

5. I'm thankful that I was available this afternoon to take care of my cousin's son for a few hours so she could get her Christmas shopping done. He's been a very good boy and a great playmate for my kiddos. All three of them just love to get together. :)

I missed Friday, so it is SIX!

2008-12-06T18:35:00.003-05:00

1. We had a wonderful dinner at Biaggi's with other missionary church people. It was nice to sit with my parents and Bill & Ronnette Armstrong. We had great conversation. Dessert was especially nice when the electricity went out and we ate it by candlelight.

2. Tuesday night we had the annual Christmas dinner with my Grandpa. His nursing home provides the meat, potatoes, and bread. Then all the relatives of the residents take sides, salads, and desserts. It is always a nice time together as family. Unfortunately, Grandpa can't think of our names on cue. If he doesn't have to think, then he will say the name. By the end of the evening, I don't think he remembered who we were. Hopefully, he knew we were there because we love him.

3. At Bible study on Wednesday morning, there was a couple who came and spoke about finances in marriage. It was all stuff that I had heard in the Crown Bible study before, but it lit a fire to make sure that I communicate with Scott about the checkbook, bills, and money stuff. So, we had a short date Wednesday night with the budget. I think he was a little nervous about it. But things are okay, and we are praising the Lord for his continued guidance and provision.

4. Friday night, Scott worked sound for a concert at our church. Thankfully, my parents kept the kiddos and I was able to attend also. In fact Scott's parents were also able to attend. It was a really nice Christmas concert by Steve & Maria Gardner and they praised Scott for all his help in setting up and for his great attitude in doing what needed to be done. Way to go, Babe!

5. Today, I went to my mom's for Christmas baking/cooking/dipping. We baked about 12 batches of snowball cookies/Mexican wedding cakes/Russian tea cakes (which ever you prefer to call them), cooked 3 batches of fudge, and dipped 15 pounds of buckeyes. We (my SIL, Lisa was there, too) started about 10 am and finished about 4 pm. This year, we even had some time to relax, have a snack and water before heading for home. We are all very tired but made great memories!!!!

6. Aleah did great at musical practice this morning. She didn't really want to go, since she knew we were doing the cookies. But she got to Mom's in time for lunch, played with Bruce, then helped with the snowball cookies when Bruce went down for a rest. Bruce did excellent playing by himself, which hasn't happened too often in his life since his sissy has always been there to entertain him. Thankfully, Grampa was around to play basketball with a plastic ball and trash can, then on to Chutes 'n' Ladders. A great day was had by all!